Armed domestic disturbance leave 1 deadAUSTIN (AP) — Arkansas State Police agents are investigating a domestic disturbance in Lonoke County that left one person dead and another wounded. Officials say the disturbance occurred Thursday in Austin. Sheriff's deputies were called to a residence about 8:30 a.m. and found Charlie Bryant outside the home with a single gunshot wound. Deputies found the body of Bryant's wife, Sharae, near a vehicle parked at the home. She had also sustained...

Flooding, tornadoes possible in state. this weekendForecasters say much of Arkansas is at risk Saturday for severe weather, including tornadoes, while other areas could see flash floods from heavy rainfall. The Storm Prediction Center says Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi and eastern Texas are at risk for severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes Saturday. Forecasters say severe weather is most likely in southeast Arkansas in areas south and east of De Queen and West Memph...

Entergy hands off control of power grid to MISOThere's a new traffic cop directing electricity flows to 2.8 million power customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas. New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. handed over management of its grid late Wednesday to the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator. MISO, based in Carmel, Ind., already directed electricity movement in parts of 11 Midwestern states and Canada's Manitoba province. The transfer was set for 11 p.m. CST We...

More than 86K Arkansans apply for private optionMore than 86,000 Arkansas residents have applied for health insurance under a state plan to use Medicaid expansion money to provide the coverage. The Department of Human Services said Wednesday that of the 86,341 people who applied, 72,361 are eligible for the private option insurance. The program is separate from the federal health insurance program that operates through the HealthCare.gov website. As of last week, about 1,400 Arkansas reside...

Hearing set in LR for scientist charged by fedsA detention hearing is set in Little Rock for a Chinese scientist accused of trying to steal seed samples from a company's research facility in Kansas. Wengui Yan, who lives in Stuttgart, has a hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday. On Thursday, federal prosecutors in Kansas charged Yan and Weiqiang Zhang, of Manhattan, Kan., with conspiracy to steal trade secrets. The federal complaint says Yan worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a...

5 free things to see and do around Little Rock Arkansas is nicknamed the Natural State, and its capital lives up to the moniker. There are plenty of ways for people to experience the great outdoors in and around Little Rock. Plus, many of them are free. ARMADILLOS AND ROCKS Want to see Little Rock's namesake geological formation and maybe an armadillo? Slip on some walking shoes and head to the trails that saddle up to the Arkansas River. The trail system loops by The Little Rock and Bill ...

Arkansas GOP House delegation splits on budgetArkansas' all-Republican House delegation split over a budget bill that eases across-the-board federal spending cuts and prevents future government shutdowns. U.S. Reps. Tim Griffin and Steve Womack voted in favor of the bill, while U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford and Tom Cotton opposed the measure. The bill passed with bipartisan support Thursday on a 332-94 vote and heads to the Senate. The agreement would set overall spending levels for the curren...

No crimes committed in UA division, report saysA legislative committee is scheduled to hear from a former fundraiser for the University of Arkansas who was fired after the division ran up a deficit of more than $4 million. Friday's meeting comes a day after prosecutors said no criminal activity occurred in connection with the deficit. A report from Washington County Deputy Prosecutor David Bercaw identifies a "breakdown of internal control" within the university's advancement division. But...

Darr to reimburse state for improper spendingA state audit released Thursday documents more than $12,000 in improper expenses incurred by Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, who pledged to repay the money. The report by the Division of Legislative Audit said Darr broke state rules that govern spending with his state credit card and travel reimbursement. Auditors found that Darr, a Republican, had claimed $9,836 in improper reimbursement for travel and expenses and said he should pay it back. The audit, ...

Hearing begins in case over Ark. gay marriage banLawyers for the state and the Faulkner County clerk asked a judge Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to allow gay marriages in Arkansas. A number of same-sex couples sued in July, two weeks after the U.S Supreme Court issued two rulings supporting gay-marriage laws. They claim a 2004 constitutional amendment approved by Arkansas voters, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, should be thrown out. Some of the couples wan...

Cold remains, but power coming back on in the stateThe president of the state's largest utility says an earlier forecast and a calmer storm helped Entergy Arkansas make it through a winter storm without problems that plagued it last Christmas. The utility had 8,000 workers on standby for a storm that dumped more than a half-foot of snow. Significant icing occurred too. Company president Hugh McDonald said Sunday that, at one point or another, 40,000 customers lost power. Forecasters warned of ...

Highway officials urge no travel on icy roads LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Bitter cold gripped Arkansas following two days of sleet and snow, leaving roads in such an icy mess Saturday that highway officials urged people to stay in despite there being no bad weather. Bright sunshine helped thaw some frozen roads, but temperatures in the teens and 20s kept many thoroughfares ice-packed. In the middle of the afternoon, nearly every major road north of a line from Mena to Conway to West Memphis was ic...

Ark. highway officials report snowy, icy roadwaysArkansas highway officials say roads are covered in ice, sleet, snow and slush across the state. Authorities reported a number of fallen trees and accidents as a winter storm trudged through Arkansas on Friday. Highway officials reported snowy roads in much of northwest Arkansas, while sleet covered highways in central and northeast Arkansas. Wintery weather that began on Thursday was forecast to bring an ice storm to much of the state on Frid...

Alma granddad fatally shoots 3, self ALMA, Ark. (AP) - A grandfather fatally shot his two grandchildren and his daughter's boyfriend Tuesday afternoon in rural Arkansas before turning the gun on himself, sheriff's officials said. Crawford County Sheriff Ron Brown said Tim Adams shot his 4-month-old grandson, 4-year-old granddaughter and the boyfriend of his daughter at Adams' home near Alma in western Arkansas, The Southwest Times Record newspaper reported. Adams' daughter, who r...

Doctors to perform 26 surgeries _ for freeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Next weekend, a small group of doctors will perform a marathon day of surgery at a Little Rock hospital, replacing hips and knees for more than two dozen patients who have no insurance and can't afford the procedures. Everything and everyone involved in the process — from the surgeons and nurses to the artificial joints — comes free of cost to the patients, many of whom have been suffering from debilitating pain for decades....

Delta Regional Authority to announce investmentPICKENS (AP) — Delta Regional Authority officials are to join with local officials in southeastern Arkansas to announce a $175,000 investment to provide for training of healthcare professionals in the region. The announcement is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Monday at the Walnut Lake Country Club in Pickens, just south of Dumas. The investment is intended to help employees at the Delta Technological/Education Center in Dumas receive training that w...

Cotton’s mother touts son in Senate campaign adWASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, is turning this week to his mother for a helping hand in his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark. Avis Cotton is featured in a new ad campaign, trumpeting her son’s service as an infantry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan as a reason to send him to the Senate. The ad began airing Friday in the Jonesboro area, according to the Cotton campaign. “After Harvard, he gave up a great career to...

Unemployment increases very slight amountArkansas’ unemployment rate increased slightly for October, though it is unknown whether local rates followed that same trend. Labor force data, produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and released Nov. 22 by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), show Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point, from 7.4 percent in September to 7.5 percent in October. Arkansas’ ci...

Arkansas memorial to firefighters nearly completeA Little Rock architect who was pulled from a fiery head-on collision by firefighters in Oklahoma more than 25 years ago has donated his firm's time and services to help build a nearly complete memorial to Arkansas firefighters on the grounds of the state Capitol in Little Rock. The Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial will feature the names of 99 Arkansas firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1889 and was designed by Jackson B...

Doctors to perform 26 surgeries _ for freeNext weekend, a small group of doctors will perform a marathon day of surgery at a Little Rock hospital, replacing hips and knees for more than two dozen patients who have no insurance and can't afford the procedures. Everything and everyone involved in the process — from the surgeons and nurses to the artificial joints — comes free of cost to the patients, many of whom have been suffering from debilitating pain for decades. The free surgeries...